Advice for living in Microcentro

[French jurist]

Tango shoes (Bajo Cero might know the direction ?) can also be found for a cheap price & good quality in Pompeya in a specialized shop (do not go there alone though, it's a problematic area). I'll try to locate the street name on google map.

 

[Bajo_cero2]

What? That's simply not true. The heels are plastic but the shoe can be leather or cloth. Comme il faut have the best support in shoes for women. Another good brand is Greta Flora. Many other brands are complete complete junk with terrible support which is not good for such high heels. Never mind the price difference was not that much between junk & excellent.

I didn´t know you are a milonguera
However, take a look at Lolo Gerard, they have those high heels you mention and you design your shoes. At Comme il Faut you buy what they have. I have been there several times and I never seen leather shoes.

But the bid deal is to make they custom to your feet and to your design. The place you mentioned is not offering that.

Regards

 

[Bajo_cero2]

Interesting rule about “only forward dancing.” I understand that the floors are very crowded but, after viewing many videos, I came to the conclusion that the back step is more esthetically pleasing. At least to me… Is this rule enforced at all indoor milongas?[/FONT][/COLOR]

This rule is for men for sure and is a practical rule, you walk back you hit the next couple. A dancer becomes a milonguero when he can dance with no space no touching other couples and you can close your eyes and you can feel you are alone on the dance floor.

For ladies, forget all about long steps, planeos, high voleos and tango nuevo kung fu kicks.

At Cachirulo nobody is never going to hit you, if another couple just "touch" you, the man apologize at once to the other milonguero. Otherwise he might be asked to leave the place.

It is all about respect, you are not alone on the dance floor.

It is enforced like this only at Cachirulo, but at the dance floor we enforce this rules pushing those couple who don´t know to dance out of the outer line.

But this is because Cachirulo is high end.

At Canning a friday, la Glorieta or Villa Malcolm they are going to hit you without realizing something is wrong, sucks.

Regards

 

[Bajo_cero2]

Florida and Lavalle are pedestrian only in this area. I think Reconquista is open to vehicle traffic where you will be staying, but I am not absolutely certain. In any case, be sure to get a "rechargeable" (no contract/pay as you go) cell phone as soon as you arrive if you don't bring one that "works" here (Moviestar is OK). Prior to your arrival, your time will be well spent practicing how to (coherently) call of a cab in Spanish. Also learn how to tell anyone who wants to clean "bird poop" off your shirt to go to hell.

It is pedestrian for sure.

You can buy mobiles for 150 pesos.

Regards

 

[starlucia]

Where to get my lunch, dinner? Banks, ATMs? Groceries, I love fruits!

In my experience, the dining options in your neighborhood are severely limited: some restaurants and cafes that close after the office crowd goes home, and a bunch of filthy-looking pizzerias and tourist traps. But! The good news is that there's a nice little Indian restaurant right on your corner. It's called Delhi Darbar, and I enjoyed their korma very much. You're also close to the excellent vegetarian tenedor libre, Granix. They're only open during the week and until 3pm, but that's your best bet for loading up on fresh fruits and veggies in your neighborhood.

 

[mini]

I didn´t know you are a milonguera
However, take a look at Lolo Gerard, they have those high heels you mention and you design your shoes. At Comme il Faut you buy what they have. I have been there several times and I never seen leather shoes.

But the bid deal is to make they custom to your feet and to your design. The place you mentioned is not offering that.

Regards

No. I'm not. I'm however a shoe lover (!) and went shoe shopping with a friend of mine who is. I should have gotten in touch with you as she is a wonderful dancer and I couldn't really help her out with the milonga scene. Anyway, in a month we saw and tried on a whole lot of shoes! I did not see Lolo Gerard though. On the market is a whole lot of expensive junk, badly made, glue showing, no support, etc. As you say, she did not have shoes made for her at CIF. But she did buy two pairs of CIF, both in leather, except the heel which is as you say plastic. She had a pair made for her at Greta Flora. All really beautiful shoes with excellent support.

 

[Bajo_cero2]

In my experience, the dining options in your neighborhood are severely limited: some restaurants and cafes that close after the office crowd goes home, and a bunch of filthy-looking pizzerias and tourist traps. But! The good news is that there's a nice little Indian restaurant right on your corner. It's called Delhi Darbar, and I enjoyed their korma very much. You're also close to the excellent vegetarian tenedor libre, Granix. They're only open during the week and until 3pm, but that's your best bet for loading up on fresh fruits and veggies in your neighborhood.

Well, on Reconquista close to Lavalle there is a place copied from NY´s Liqueteria.

 

[MizzMarr]

It is all about respect, you are not alone on the dance floor.

It is enforced like this only at Cachirulo, but at the dance floor we enforce this rules pushing those couple who don´t know to dance out of the outer line.

But this is because Cachirulo is high end.

At Canning a friday, la Glorieta or Villa Malcolm they are going to hit you without realizing something is wrong, sucks.

This is interesting to me, as one of the stand-out annoying things I've had to adjust to in life down here is the lack of regard for the personal space of others (in any setting: the street, grocery store, gym, etc.). I wonder if anybody can shed some light on why it's ok to barrel towards some stranger on the street and run right into them without even looking or acknowledging, but in a milonga someone would afford the other respect of personal space? It is sheer reverence for the dance and respect for TANGO alone, rather than individuals? Not to take this thread off-topic but this lack of respect for personal space is a recurrent source of frustration for me and many other expats that I know. The Argentines, well, they just don't seem to notice or apparently care (I guess unless you're in a high class milonga).

ETA: so I can contribute somewhat to this main thread: I wouldn't live in Microcentro if you paid me. If you can, get out of your arrangement and move somewhere else!

 

[sesamosinsal]

Have an unlocked quadband.
Where to buy SIM card at the EZE, or elsewhere? And what is the cost per min so I will know how much airtime to get...

Get a Movistar "chip". On most days, you can put 30 pesos (or some other amount) on the phone, and they double it or sometimes even triple it. You can purchase credit from any kiosk. This is probably the easiest. "Hola, me das una tarjeta movistar de 30 pesos, por favor?"

Some places are "cargo virtual" where they recharge your phone without a card. Make sure you write your number on a piece of paper as clearly as possible. There are no refunds if you screw up saying your number or write it illegibly. This happened to me one time...

I'd say that going rate for a phone chip is about $10 pesos. I would not pay more than $10 pesos. If I need to buy a chip (SIM), I head to Once where you can get them in some places for $5 ARS. I've never seen them being sold at Ezeiza, but I've never looked. If they do sell them at Ezeiza, you'll likely pay double or triple the price. Just wait until you get to your apartment.

I don't know how much per minute they charge for a call, but it's expensive. Something like $.60 pesos per minute, perhaps? Fact is, no one really calls in Argentina unless she/he has to call. I'd say 90% of my communication involving a cell phone is done via text messaging.

As far as your living situation, don't live in Microcentro. Ugh. The place is absolutely atrocious. Horribly busy during the day, and incredibly sketchy at night. Get an apartment in Palermo or Recoleta.

 

[Bajo_cero2]

This is interesting to me, as one of the stand-out annoying things I've had to adjust to in life down here is the lack of regard for the personal space of others (in any setting: the street, grocery store, gym, etc.). I wonder if anybody can shed some light on why it's ok to barrel towards some stranger on the street and run right into them without even looking or acknowledging, but in a milonga someone would afford the other respect of personal space? It is sheer reverence for the dance and respect for TANGO alone, rather than individuals? Not to take this thread off-topic but this lack of respect for personal space is a recurrent source of frustration for me and many other expats that I know. The Argentines, well, they just don't seem to notice or apparently care (I guess unless you're in a high class milonga).

Interesting, we feel (at milongas) that foreigners don´t respect our personal space and they only think about their self no matter what happens to people around.

In real life, who knows, what do you mean by lack of respect for your personal space?